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The Isaiah ‘Apocalypse', Isaiah 24-27, is an enigmatic text. Linguistic structure and literary composition can not be discerned easily. The contributions to this volume, the result of studies and discussions which have taken place in the Dutch Isaiah Workshop, treat various aspects of this problem.The overall structure of the ‘Apocalypse'is investigated from three rather new points of view, that of text syntax, verse structure and traditional, e.g. Massoretic, segmentation. Other studies of this volume deal with difficult passages and interesting themes. Attention is also given to the most persistent interpretative problem: what is the cohesion of the text as far as time, place and action or actants are concerned?An annotated translation and a select bibliography complete this stimulating volume.

The Books of Chronicles and Ben Sira 44-50 both rewrite previous biblical history in different ways. While the postexilic Books of Chronicles rewrite earlier narratives from Samuel and Kings, Ben Sira's Praise of the Ancestors offers a new presentation of biblical history from the Genesis patriarchs to Nehemiah, prior to the praise of the high priest Simon. Whereas older scholarship regarded the historiography of Chronicles and Ben Sira as secondary and derivative, today there is renewed interest in these works as significant theological and cultural documents. Both Chronicles and Ben Sira present a theological message that involves the creation of a national identity centered on temple piety. The essays in this volume investigate how both works rewrite their source materials on particular biblical characters and themes. Some chapters consider the portrayal of kings like David, Rehoboam, Hezekiah, Manasseh, Josiah, and Zedekiah. Other chapters deal with prophets like Samuel and Elijah, while further essays offer perspectives on Ben Sira's Praise of the Ancestors as a whole. This Festschrift honors Professor Pancratius C. Beentjes, who has made a significant contribution to scholarly research into the Books of Chronicles and Ben Sira.